My Immortal
by barefootduchess
Summary: What if the first time Bella and Edward met she mistook him for a different type of immortal? What if she weren't completely incorrect? Alternate Universe, Cannon Pairings
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Athens is beautiful this time of year isn't it?" Jessica asked as she turned to me, I did not hear her the first time she had asked me; I had been too enthralled at the vision of stone set before me. The beauty of it was, is indescribable. Sleek white marble, granite… the contours, chiseled features, absolute perfection. I could not tear my eyes from it, even to answer her.

"Sure, Jess, it's…it's great." I said absent-mindedly. I could feel the stare I was procuring from her. "Bella, your drooling over that piece of ruins as if it were a man…please, honey, at least wait until we get to the statue of the David." I looked over at her, slightly confused. "Jess, the David is in Florence…Italy, we're in Greece. It's a whole different country." I stated as I began walking in the direction I knew she was anxious to go. Before we had stopped to look at the ruins of the temple of Athena Nike she had seen two cute tourist boys headed that way. I smiled to myself as I thought of the irony of the situation. My best friend, Jessica Stanley, had very wealthy parents who tried every summer to send her on an educational vacation somewhere in the world. I had met her last year when I moved from Phoenix, Arizona to live with my dad, Charlie, in Forks, Washington. This was my first trip outside of the contiguous United States, and I was getting more educational enjoyment from this trip than Jessica ever would.

Already we had visited the Parthenon, also in Athens, as well as several other historically significant ruins in the immediate area. Tomorrow we were scheduled to ascend Mount Olympus, legendary residence of the gods. I was beyond excited, Jess, not so much. You see, I still don't know how she and I ever became such close friends; Jessica was one of the most popular girls in school, she dressed well in designer clothes, drove a newer car, was the head cheerleader, you know the type. I am her absolute and complete opposite; a bookworm, recluse, not poor but certainly not able to keep up fashion-wise with my best friend. I'm so not into sports I baseball confused with basketball, I'm arguably the clumsiest person in the world.

When Jessica asked me to come along on her very first 'big girl' summer trip, meaning of course that since we were both seventeen her parents thought us mature enough to be able to navigate an alien country, no make that continent, by ourselves, I was absolutely floored. "Surely you want to ask Lauren Mallory, don't you?" I had said. "No, we did that once, Bells; Lauren is not a good anything but especially travel partner." She had replied. It had taken some convincing for my mom and Charlie to agree to let me go, but Jessica's parents helped us there. They had assured my parents that we would be going only on guided tours headed by responsible tour guides and the owners of the hotel we would be staying at were close, personal friends of theirs. They would be in touch with them throughout our trip.

So here I am, living one of my, up until now, most unattainable dreams, and standing before the ruins of temples in Athens, Greece. I followed Jessica a few steps behind, looking at my brochures of the next, and last, stop we would make today, Hadrian's Arch. "Hey, Jess, listen to this, it is said that as you pass through Hadrian's Arch for the first time you may ask one wish of the gods, supposedly if it is not made out of greed, it will be granted to you. That sounds fun!" Jess looked at me as if I had said we'd get a free supply of fishing bait. "What's Hadrian's Arch?" she asked. I laughed a little, "Never mind, Jess. Did you ever find those guys you were looking for?" I smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about, Bells; you know I love Mike." I snorted, Mike Newton was every girl's dream…well, every girl's but mine. I just hadn't found my Mike Newton yet, but I was sure I would… I just had to be patient.

As we approached the arch I put away my brochure, shoving it unceremoniously into my backpack. I looked up just as we were to pass underneath and closed my eyes. I took a deep breath, because as we all know, not breathing is essential to making a proper wish, and slowly walked forward. Through my eyelids I could sense the light being blocked out by the enormous stone structure that I was passing beneath. Everything was going swimmingly, until my foot seemed to find the one pebble that was out of place beneath my feet and the next thing I knew I was on my stomach. Somehow my body had sensed the fall and my hands shot out just in time to keep my face from hitting the gravel.

"Bells are you okay?" Jess inquired just a little too loudly. Our tour guide turned around and scrambled back to us. "Oh, pretty lady has taken a fall, yes? I need to call giatros…uh, doc-tor?" he asked urgently. "No, no I'm fine…it happens all the time. Really it does." I mumbled. I got up quickly to prove my point that assistance, and more attention, was completely unnecessary.

Not long after we arrived we decided to head back to our hotel for the evening. "We'll order room service." Jess announced as we flung out backpacks onto the beds. I turned and fell onto mine, savoring the sweet softness and comfort as I sunk a full three inches into the feathered top mattress.

Our evening was uneventful enough and we turned in early; the trek up Mount Olympus tomorrow was going to be an all day event, so we had better be good and rested. Try as I might I could not get to sleep so I decided to read my new book, one of the few large books I had found in English in the little book store we had visited yesterday. The title was 'Epic Myths: Guide to the Gods of Ancient Greece' – my favorite so far was the tale of Eros and Psyche. I was very appreciative of the pronunciation guide at the beginning of each chapter. Eros was pronounced "Air-ohs" and Psyche sounded like "Sigh-kee" – I had heard of Eros before; he was Cupid's Grecian counterpart, but unlike the cute little naked baby shooting arrows at someone to make them fall in love, the old myths had him looking as hot as Apollo, the arrows still were his gig, but instead of helping out young lovers he seemed to be notorious for splitting up marriages by shooting happily married couples and making them fall for other people. Still the story had its good points too. As I lay in bed I re-read the story I had come to love.

I woke up at five a.m. to the wretchedly shrill alarm clock between our beds. I heard a thump. The book which had been resting, open, on my chest had fallen to the floor. I retrieved it and stuck it in my bag; I was probably going to need it on our trip up Mount Olympus today incase Jess got side-tracked by some cute guy.

I jumped up and grabbed my clothes, getting a very quick shower before trying to rouse Jess; obviously the alarm never seemed to work. She got up and dressed leisurely, taking her time and we nearly missed the tour bus. Once on board I was very glad of my decision to bring along my new find; Jess, as suspected, had found some other Greece-touring American to connect with. Yes, he was male and about our age, maybe a little older. We had a five hour drive to look forward to; fortunately, Jess' parents had already booked us both a room at the Dion Palace hotel situated at the foot of Mount Olympus. I had protested to this saying it would be perfectly reasonable for Jess and I to share, but to no avail. They had insisted. I buried my nose in the book and waited for the long trip to come to an end. I was excited about our destination, but the thought of hiking for two days didn't seem like such a good idea for me. Maybe I would just hang around in the foothills.

As we finally approached the little town of Dion in near the foot of Olympus I noticed for the first time that the sky was completely overcast with thick clouds. My heart fell just a bit; we had been having superb weather up until know. I would have to check the weather reports later after settling into my suite. That still sounded so foreign, my suite…it really was too much, but the Stanley's had insisted.

After unpacking and getting settled I saw no more of Jessica. I supposed she had gone with her new friend…or friends and I would meet up with her at dinner. I took off with our tour guide and we drove to some of the hiking trails at the foot of the mountain. Even in the overcast gloom it was incredible. Here and there we would come across little settlements, none bigger than about a hundred people total is what our tour guide told us. When we reached the third settlement up the mountain I began to feel really uncomfortable. I had the eerie feeling I was being watched but every time I looked around I could see no one but the uninterested locals and our tour group.

Just as we were about to leave a very elderly little woman hobbled up to me and reached for my hand. I had been used to some of the beggars in the other cities we had visited and was trying to tell her I had no money in very broken Greek when she held up a wrinkled, knarled hand to silence me. I frowned, as she grabbed my right hand and pulled it up to her creased, darkened face; her eyes squinted until they were almost shut.

She stood there like that for some time and when she finally spoke I jumped. Her voice was loud and commanding despite her frail and stooped appearance. Her English was actually very good. "You have the scent of the devil on you… he watches you…this one sent from Hades he is. Do not trust him; he will steal you away. Do not let him in, whatever you do; you will not be able to resist him after that…he will snare you. Your hand, it has a very unlucky line." And with that she was gone. Simply turned and walked away, back to her little hovel in the main street. I frowned and looked to the tour guide; not surprisingly I had garnered the attention of not only our whole tour group, but also some of the locals. A man in his fifties or sixties stood nearby and began speaking with the tour guide in Greek. The tour guide turned to me and in broken English recanted what the old man had told him; "He say…That old Leona, the fortune teller…she not speaken in four year! You first she touches or talks to in that long! Odd, not good for you. She only tell of bad things, you very unlucky girl." I was speechless, but in my mind I was shouting. Great, just great; I have an old gypsy tell me that the devil is after me and will try to ensnare me!

I turned and acted as if nothing had happened and the tour guide followed suit. We hiked for about an hour more, but as the sun began to descend we turned back toward the foothills. I decided that I would not go on the tour tomorrow, but instead I would stay behind near the hotel and shop. That was probably what Jessica had done today. Maybe then Jess could join the hike on the third day; I'd have felt a lot better if she had been with me.

As I lay in my huge king sized bed that night after dinner I watched the moon rise over the mountains peaks. It was beautiful, there is nothing like it. The moon was full and round. Jess and I had discussed what had happened with the gypsy lady over dinner. Jess told me not to worry about it, and honestly I don't know why I had worried so much about it in the first place.

That was the first night I dreamt of him. Who he was I did not know, but he looked like one of the marble statues of the gods that we had seen in the countless museums in Athens and Delphi, except for the fact that he was wearing clothes. In my dream he just stood in the background of the scenery watching me. It gave me the same feeling that I had had earlier in the day. But I would have remembered seeing someone who looked like that. Wouldn't I?

I woke briefly and thought I saw a shadow over by my window. I sat up but the curtains just continued to blow. Wait…I hadn't left my window open. I stood up and went over to the window; the balcony was just beyond it… I looked around, down below, up above…nothing.

I turned and saw a flash of marble white. But it was gone almost before I could register it. "Eros?" I whispered. Immediately I felt incredibly stupid; why would a god want to look after me? I was no Psyche. I laughed to myself as I crawled back into bed. Just before I drifted off to sleep again I could have sworn I heard a soft chuckling near my window.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow, I'm on a roll tonight... Hope this satisfies for a bit!**

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My dreams were plagued by a faceless figure and my sleep was uneasy. I kept waking up off and on throughout the night. The next day was miserable; when I woke up I noticed huge purple bags under my eyes and Jess mentioned that I was irritable and groggy all day long. I grudgingly agreed.

Finally, after an uneventful day, bedtime came again. I said goodnight to Jessica and walked down the hallway to my suite. I went through the motions of my nightly routine robotically and crawled into my bed. I had left the window open so the cool sea breeze could find me while I slept and hopefully lull me into a deep, dreamless sleep.

I had hoped for too much. My eyes flew open. I looked over at me bedside clock, one a.m., no! Not again; I wanted a normal, fun day of exploration tomorrow, not another sleepless night! I groaned and padded over to the bathroom, not bothering to close the door all the way. Finishing up I flicked the light back off and climbed back into bed. I took one last look around before pulling the covers back over my feet and legs. Wait… something was not right…it wasn't the same. What was it? I looked around again. The window, it had been wide open before, but it was very nearly closed. Had I done that? On my way to the bathroom did I close the window? I couldn't remember. It was too blurry.

Just as I was about to give up and lie back down I thought I heard a sigh come from the direction of the bathroom. I froze. That noise definitely came from inside my room…not the little living area, or the kitchenette, but the bedroom or bathroom. My heart thundered in my chest. I was at war within myself over whether or not to get up and look around or just call out from the safety of my bed, covers ready and waiting to cover my head if necessary. Coward that I was, the bed won out.

"Hello? Is someone here?" No answer…slight relief flooding through my mind made me a bit braver than before. "I know you're here; I can hear you breathing… I'm calling the concierge, they'll send up a policeman." I made a big show of reaching for the phone, safe in the knowledge that it had just been my imagination; I planned to pick up the phone, listen for the sobering dial tone and easily go back to sleep. My plans were shattered when he spoke. "No, I won't hurt you. I'll go." His voice was soft, barely audible, as if from a distant dream.

I froze again, my body stiffened completely. Fear began to flood my veins as cold as ice water as it ran from my barely beating heart and trickled through every extremity I possessed. I reached, somehow, for the lamp beside me. "No… leave it off. I swear no harm will come to you, just don't light…keep it off, please." He whispered, I obeyed, but whether out of fear or some morbid fantasy induced curiosity I do not know.

"Who are you?" I croaked the darkness surrounding me seemed to creep into my vocal chords, shadowing them with the thick blackness of all that was the night. I sensed movement to my left, the area near the closet; in the dim moonlight I could see the figure of a man moving from the deep shadows that the corners of my room created. He moved as if one with the darkness, a shadow himself.

"I am no one, no one you would know, no one you would want to know. I am nothing that should concern you; not anymore at least." The last few words were barely audible, surely he did not mean for me to catch them, but I did. I decided to call him on it, if I were about to die, I was surely entitled to at least know everything I could about my attacker.

"What do you mean, not anymore?" I asked. I heard him laugh to himself… it is amazing how well your hearing is enhanced when your sight in encumbered. "Nothing; You have nothing to fear from me now. Lie down and sleep if you can, I'll not come here again. I promise." He said as he moved slowly in the shadows around my bed, his movements were fluid, graceful.

"Again? Have you been here before?" I asked, not able to let well enough alone; here my would be murderer was offering to leave me in peace and I just kept egging him on. Another chuckle, "Yes, I was here last night as well, I thought you would have caught me then, but sleep over took you and I left. You called me Eros." I could hear the amusement in his voice and for some reason it angered me. How dare he laugh at my expense!

"I had been dreaming! I thought you were part of my dream. Why were you here?" I asked. I was not about to let this stranger think me some silly child full of fantasies…even if that's exactly what I was, there was no need for him to know it. "I told you, it doesn't matter now. And you were not dreaming, I know; I was watching you sleep. You needn't be embarrassed, it's a common mistake." He said easily as if we had met on the beach or in a club. "A common mistake? So you think yourself comparable to Eros? You're quite conceited." I said; what was wrong with me?! What the heck was I doing provoking a possibly dangerous, murderous man who had obviously the skill to break into my well secured hotel room?

He laughed out loud now, a beautiful deep, glorious sound, like the warm south wind rushing through the trees in the forests back home. "I didn't mean it like that, no I do not think myself comparable to Eros; I've met him, it's truly no comparison. I simply meant that my kind have been mistaken for his kind for a long time. In fact, it is my kind who gave birth to the legends and myths of the gods in the first place." I was utterly confused now; it seemed the more the stranger in my room talked, the less sense he made.

"What do you mean by that? Who are you?" I asked, not really expecting any sort of a comprehensible reply at this point; something deep inside me, for some unknown reason, did not want to let this stranger leave; I feared I would never hear his beautiful voice again…and some part of me simply could not handle that fact.

"I should go. I'm sorry to have troubled you, Bella. I sincerely ask your forgiveness." He said and I could see his form move quickly to the window. "No! Please! Don't leave… or come back tomorrow night. Just don't say good bye." I yelled. I could see his form silhouetted in the pale moonlight that shone through the curtains. He turned slowly to face me, the light from the window illuminated what seemed in this dim light to be iridescent white skin. He stepped slowly toward me. "Are you sure, Bella? Do you know what you're asking?" He said, his voice held a serious tone I had not imagined possible. "Yes." I replied confidently, hoping he would not see though my steady voice to my mind screaming the opposite inside my head.

"Alright, tomorrow. Get some rest, Bella." He replied and with that he simply vanished. I did not see him move to the window, nor did I see the window open. I heard nothing, but I knew he was gone; when he left an emptiness I had not known in all my life before this night descended upon me like a cold, wet, heavy blanket.

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**A/N: Mmmhmm, how you like them apples? Yeah I'm getting into this story kinda quickly for me; but I have SO much I want to do with this one! I hope it turns out like I want! -Yes, when I start a new story I have NO IDEA how it's going to end; I let the characters decide that.-**

**Please review, I LOVE hearing from you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Wow, not many hits or reviews on this one... I guess it's more of a taste issue. Let me tell you though, the story will move away from Greece and from the myth of Eros and Psyche, that's just the jumping off point. I like to see how B and E handle different meetings and other situations. The next chapter (4) is kinda steamy so get set! Enjoy!**

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I lay back in my bed, but sleep would not come. Jessica knocked on my door at eight thirty the next morning, but I pretended to be sick. She agreed, a little too quickly, I might add, to go on without me. I lay there staring at the ceiling in the soft morning light.

When I opened my eyes the room was bathed in a red glow. I frowned as I looked toward my window… the sun was setting! I had slept all day long! And where was Jess? I supposed she had come to check on me, but in my deep sleep she must have assumed I was still 'sick' and left me alone. I jumped out of bed, grabbed some clothes from the bureau and ran into the bathroom. I showered and dressed quickly and took a little time to put on a little lip gloss and run a brush through my hair. I picked up my laundry and shoved it into the little net bag and left it behind the door for the maid to pick up tomorrow. Got to love a hotel with complimentary full service laundry!

I opened the door and began to walk back toward my bed to make it look a bit more presentable, but was shocked to see the silhouette of a person sitting there staring back at me.

"Shall we do this the traditional way, lights off, full of mystery and have you commit the same grievous sin as Psyche, or shall we bring it into modern times, me showing you the trust you believe you deserve?" He said, his voice sending a shiver down my spine, but whether from fear or excitement I do not know.

"Why on earth should you not trust me? It wasn't me that broke into someone's hotel room uninvited and watched that person sleep!" I answered, slightly annoyed at his sense of wit. "Besides,' I added, 'I'm no Psyche… I could keep my curiosity in check."

He laughed. "Oh, I doubt it, you are most definitely like Psyche, whether you choose to believe it or not!" He said, reaching for the lamp nearest him. I was about to comment on his overconfidence in himself again when he clicked the switch and took away every thought I had been thinking, and effectively my breath with it. I had never seen a creature, real or imagined, drawn or sculpted, as beautiful as the one that sat here before me. His beauty was indescribable, and yet my brain tried very hard to do just that. What could I compare him to? There was nothing in all of time that I had seen that would even begin to be of help in that department. He was like a mixture of the David, and of the Creation of Adam painting on the ceiling of the Sistine chapel, and of the bust of Apollo, but so much more beautiful than all of them put together.

His skin was as pale as white marble, polished smooth and perfect with features chiseled into his face. His face! It reflected the light as the moon does the sun and seemed to glow by its own source. He was glorious.

He must have been used to such reactions, because though I am sure my mouth had dropped and was undoubtedly hanging open, he began to speak as if nothing were amiss.

"There, now there will be no need to practically burn me with hot oil. Curiosity satisfied?" He asked. I nodded slightly. "Good, then would you be opposed to me turning the light off again? It might be easier to converse, since it is how we are accustomed to communicating up to this point."

I nodded again. The light clicked off, the moon was brighter tonight, I noticed, and now having seen his features in direct light I could more easily imagine them than I could have had he not revealed himself to me. I said the first thing I could think of to break the awkward silence. "How do you know my name?" He smiled. "I have very good hearing; and I'm never very far from you during the day…recently." "Oh." I said as if that answer had made all the sense in the world. "Who are you?" I asked trying to think of a question that would get me a straighter answer than those I had been getting; it seemed he could speak to me forever but tell me nothing at all.

"My name Is Edward; but I believe you might mean to ask me what I am, rather than who, am I correct?" I nodded again. "Well, that brings up the issue of trust again. How do I know I can trust you not to tell on me?" A hint of a smile played at the corner of his mouth. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I was completely taken by him, and I only knew his first name.

"Why would you not?" I asked dumbly… there were a million reasons why he might not trust me I quickly went over them in my head, but to my surprise, he said none of them. "Touché" He said quietly.

"Besides, if I begin by telling you, you might well come to your senses and order me off for good, thereby disposing of this whole awkward matter at hand. After all you should never have seen me to begin with… it was my mistake, of course, but your fortune." Honestly he confused me more and more each time he opened his mouth. I frowned; he smiled, surely at the bewilderment so evident on my face.

"Well… to begin with I am not human, but that, some part of your mind has already guessed, even if subconsciously. You are familiar with what I am, but I must ask you not to scream when I tell you; remember I told you last night that I promised no harm will come to you now?" I nodded; my heart began to beat wildly. He smiled as my heart sped as if he could hear it. "Please try to calm down, Bella, when your heart beats like that your scent nearly overpowers me."

I frowned again but had no chance to ask what he meant, he continued quickly as if he had something unpleasant to say and wanted it over with quickly. "I am a vampire, Bella. Yes, I feed on human blood and I was going to feed on yours; I saw you two days ago, while hiking on the mountain. Your blood called to me as no other blood on this planet ever has in my existence… it was irresistible. It took everything I possess not to take you right then and there, but I waited. I followed you here and I waited outside your window until you fell asleep. I waited, standing over you, wondering how to cover the scene, to make it look like an accident or murder or something more believable than a vampire attack but then you spoke. You talk in your sleep did you know that?"

I shook my head. I was mesmerized by his words. I could not have screamed if my life depended on it, which, if what he was telling me was true, could very well happen under the wrong circumstances.

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**A/N: Reviews are awesome and they let me know that you do infact want to know more... I do write these for myself, but I post them for potential readers. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Here is chapter 4... 5 is in process... hopefully posted within the week... finding the timeis a tough thing to do, but I love it so much, rest assured that it WILL continue!**

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My mind reeled; A vampire? Surely he did not expect me to believe that. And yet, some piece of me believed every word he spoke without question. "So… I talk in my sleep and that's why you aren't going to eat me?" I tried to put as much indifference into my voice as I could, but I doubted it had the effect I had hoped for.

He smiled again, "No, you were talking about your mother… your father, Charlie. You're from Forks, Washington, am I correct?" I nodded. "We have a house there, in Forks,' he said, 'well, outside it actually, but within the informal city limits. I wouldn't want a tragedy so close to the home we are preparing to go to so soon…nothing that could connect me or my family to such a crime." He paused for breath, I took my chance. "You're coming to Forks?" I asked; part of my heart thrilled at the thought, to have this unbelievable creature so close to my home every day. Another part of me absolutely terrified that anything so dangerous could come to the little town I had come to call home.

"Yes, at the end of the summer. My siblings and I will be starting Forks High School. I expect we will be classmates." He said easily. I frowned… "Teenage vampires, you have a family?" He chuckled, "Bella, I hope you got a lot of sleep, we have a lot to cover tonight. Yes, I have a family; teenagers…yes and no – we all look like teenagers, but the youngest of us is about eighty or so, give or take a few. I am 107 years old myself."

"Edward, you said you knew Eros? How could you, he's a myth, right?" I tried to steer the conversation and my mind away from the idea of vampires living in Forks. It was just too much to process right now. "Ah, Eros, yes…well aren't I supposed to be a myth as well? Eros is not how I knew him at first; he is effectively one of the oldest vampires in existence. I call him Aro, and he was around when the stories of Eros were popular here. He did not create them, I think, but he certainly did not help disprove them. We vampires, as you can imagine have special abilities… we can run faster than your eyes can see, speak faster than your ears can hear, and are stronger than your body could ever be, or your mind fathom. His brother, Marcus, did not help dispel the rumors of Heracles… he liked to show off his strength. There was also a Psyche. I have met her. In fact her name was actually Psyche. She is now Aro's wife."

My eyes were wide with wonder. Did all the myths that began of old have grains of truth? It certainly seemed like the ancients weren't crazy old codgers, but were simply describing the things they saw in what they believed to be gods. Who, even today, could see such things and not believe the same; certainly they were not human, what else could they be? "That was before there were rules on what we could and could not let humans see… it is because of Aro and Marcus that they had to set rules down in the first place." He added.

"Are they all as beautiful as you?" I asked, and was immediately embarrassed by my bluntness. I blushed furiously and immediately he seemed closer to me than before. His red eyes gazing down into mine, I could feel his breath on my skin, and he seemed to be breathing harder than before. "Yes." He whispered. "But none are as beautiful as you when you blush like that. " His eyes were intense upon my own, I could see the hunger in them, and for a moment, I was as frightened as I should have been all along. He was the predator, I was his prey.

My heart kept skipping beats. He smiled as he heard the cadence it was drumming out, but his intense ruby eyes never left mine. "I could have you right here, no one would hear, no one would know. Surely they wouldn't connect it to my family in Forks. Only I would know." He whispered as he leaned forward, his face next to mine; his cold, white cheek brushed my own as he leaned past my face, his lips very close to my neck, barely brushing it. "I can hear your blood, Bella, rushing through your veins under your skin. I could trace every vein you have in your body with my finger, even those which are hidden from my view, because I can hear your pulse in every one of them."

His breath, cool and fragrant was on my neck, causing chills to run down my spine. I should have pulled away. I should have run, pointless as it would have been, but I didn't. Instead I leaned into him, inhaling his delicious scent in deep, greedy breaths.

He paused, placing his hands on my shoulders pulling me back from him, he studied my eyes carefully. "What?" I asked. He frowned, it did not mar his exquisite features, only enhanced them. "I was about to ask you the same, Bella. I should repel you, not draw you to me, especially after what I've told you. You were to be my dinner yesterday Bella. Why do you not withdraw from me?"

"I don't know. I know I should want you to leave, but I don't. You smell good to me too." I said, I knew my words were pouring out of my mouth in jumbled bunches, but at this point I was operating mostly on emotion. I leaned closer to him, his hands, still on my shoulders, did not resist me, though they did hesitate at my willingness to close the space between us.

I gently pressed my lips to his neck; his skin was like cold stone. I could hear his breathing getting deeper, he was nearly gasping. I raised my hands to his shoulders, I was on my knees now in front of him, and his hands had slid down to my waist. He was irresistible…drawing me in like a honey to a bee. I kissed his neck, tiny little kisses along his jaw line, stopping just before I reached his lips. My mouth hovered right over his, his eyes on mine; the ruby had deepened into a dark crimson. "We shouldn't Bella… I know…you think you want….me… I could kill you…in a second it would be over." He breathed the words onto my mouth.

If I was going to die in a few measly years, be it eight or eighty, I could not think of a more beautiful angel to take me to my grave. I covered his lips with my own. At first he sat, his hands on my waist, very still. I wasn't sure if he was in shock or if he were trying very hard not to breathe. And then I knew… it was both, but he responded, hungrily to my kiss. He pressed his mouth into my own, his tongue running lightly over my lips. He pushed me back with his body onto the bed, his hands sliding from my waist to my hips, his granite form pressing me into the bed. I wasn't sure if he were going to continue kissing me or if he was about to devour me, but for some reason I did not care. All I could think of was getting as much of this creature as I could before I died, if I was to die… what was wrong with me?

"Bella! Are you ok? Honey, I lost my key! Let me in!" Jessica yelled from the outside of the door. Before I could register it Edward was across the room from me, his eyes downcast, and his hands gripping the bureau for dear life. "I'm sorry, Bella. I should go. I won't be any more trouble to you. Goodbye." And before I could answer him he was gone. The only sign that his presence had not been some sort of lucid dream was that the curtains were pulled through the window so that they were hanging on the outside.

"Bells what took you so long?" Jess asked as I opened the door for her. "Were you going somewhere?"She said. I frowned. "What?" I asked.

"Your clothes… you look nice. I thought you might be feeling better so I came to check up, see if you wanted to go out for bit, maybe some dinner. You okay?" I nodded. "Yeah, dinner, nice…let me get my purse."

I took one last glance at my room before I headed out the door. I wanted nothing more than for the summer to end and to get back home so school could start.

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**A/N: Please Review! I do so love hearing your thoughts and ideas on the story; I've been known to actually work in suggestions from my readers from time to time so don't be bashful about critiquing!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Well this one went smoothly. More to come soon. And by the way, I have been looking for a community to submit this story to, if you know of an appropriate one, please feel free to submit the link to this story on my behalf. I find I get much more traffic and readers by being in a community.  
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Dinner went smoothly; Jess was too wrapped up in her own affairs to notice my non-complacence. We decided to cut the Grecian tour short and move on to Paris for some school shopping. That idea was more Jess than me, but still I was anxious to move on to anything that would get us closer to home again. We spent a non eventful week in the city of Lights and returned to the tiny, rainy town of Forks.

I walked the streets of town almost daily looking for any sign of a new family who had moved into town. There was little word of it at all, so little in fact that I very nearly missed it completely. A new doctor had come to work in Forks with his family. The doctor was the only one anyone had seen so far and had I not had an unfortunate accident involving wearing my socks on Charlie's stairs one morning I might have passed off the mention of the new doc in town as an unrelated event to my summer adventure.

Charlie had left for work and I was sauntering down the stairs wearing my jeans, t-shirt and socks one weekend morning. I slipped very near the top stair and tumbled the rest of the way down. I managed to reach the phone and called Charlie; he came home and took me into the ER, a place I was quite familiar with by now.

I was attended by the new Dr. Cullen. The name meant nothing to me; Edward had only introduced himself by his first name, but once I saw my attending physician I knew at once this must be the father or father figure at least, of my Edward. He was pale and beautiful, a regular Adonis himself, but he paled in comparison to my would-be killer. His voice, also like Edwards, was enchanting and seemed to echo or hang in the air even after the notes had faded from audibility.

"Do you have any children, Dr. Cullen?" I asked as he treated the minor abrasion on my forehead before turning his attention to my sprained ankle. "Why, yes, I do. Five of them in fact; three boys, two girls – all adopted of course; they're around your age. I expect you'll see them in school in a few weeks." I smiled; time to test the young doctor's knowledge of one of his children's summer escapades. "One of them wouldn't be named Edward would he, Dr. Cullen?"

Dr. Cullen looked abruptly up at me before regaining his composure and returning his attention to my injuries. "One of them would, in fact." Was all he would say; I smiled triumphantly to myself, finally I would no longer have to settle for my dreams. I would see my immortal once again; every day in fact. I left the hospital elated. Charlie seemed puzzled at my unusually uplifted spirits upon just leaving the emergency room with injuries. I made no excuses, though, and urged him to return to work and that I would be fine on my own for the rest of the day. He made a disbelieving sound before agreeing that he was needed; with one of his deputies out for a week with a very pregnant wife due any day to deliver they were short handed.

I rested in my room for the rest of the day. I waited impatiently for the weeks to pass, but the closer it got to the beginning of school; the slower time seemed to go. Finally the day came and went. The first day was an unusually sunny day and there was no sign of any new students. The second day was rainy, cloudy and gloomy, and to my extreme delight a pale beauty sat directly across from me in my English class. English is an easy class for me, so I had time to study my new classmate while the teacher droned on about the upcoming semester. She was shorter than I, with short, black, spiky hair and an adorable button nose. She had an infectious smile that seemed a permanent part of her features. I introduced myself after the bell rang and class had ended. She seemed surprised at my friendly introduction. Obviously Edward had not mentioned our meeting to either the doctor or the sister who introduced herself as 'Alice' at all. She confided that as the new students quite often at new schools, since they had moved around a lot, most people found her and her siblings unapproachable. "We are kind of outcasts in most places; usually we just take solace in sticking together until we uproot and move again." From the way it sounded Alice truly hated moving from place to place, but perhaps that was a guise just as their pretense of humanity was.

I kept from them my knowledge of what they were; if Edward had not confided our meeting, surely he would not have mentioned his revelation either. I walked Alice to lunch, hoping to 'meet' the rest of her family, but I was disappointed to find that their brother was neither there with his family, nor was he mentioned by any of them. All of the Cullen 'children' seemed shocked at my friendliness toward them and none of them quite knew how to respond. I waited in the parking lot after school, thankful for once that Jessica was chronically late getting out of gym due to the fact that she could not bear for anyone to see her in a state less than perfect.

I watched as the Cullens loaded in a small, red BMW and drove away. Edward never showed; I wondered vaguely if it had anything to do with our meeting over the summer. I desperately hoped not, but I could not deny the nagging feeling that tugged at the edge of my stomach.

The first two weeks of school came and went with no sign whatsoever of the beautiful creature I had met in Greece. It was as if it had all been a wonderful dream, terrifying and thrilling all at once. The type of dream you wake from and from the moment you open your eyes wish desperately to fall back into somehow. It often seems the dreams like that never seem to repeat themselves like others do. They are one of a kind.

On the Wednesday of the third week I finally had had enough and cornered Alice in the hall before English class. "Alice, I need to talk to you… privately." I turned to walk away; I could afford to skip one class, I hoped she could too. She followed me warily until we reached the now empty picnic tables out behind the high school gymnasium. I laid my books on one of the tables and turned to face her; she had an odd faraway look on her face but seemed to snap out of it when I began to talk. "Alice, I know you have a brother named Edward… what I want to talk to you about is why he isn't with you and why you never mentioned him the few times we've spoken."

She looked at me uncomfortably, the smile that seemed so much a part of her as any other feature was now gone, and in its place a vacant and wary expression. "So you're the one he can't make up his mind about… I suspected it was you, but didn't want to ask; the others know nothing about why he isn't here and he asked me to stay quiet about what I saw. I'm asking you to do the same, alright?" Now it was my turn to be puzzled. "He told you about me?" I asked; this was a surprise – why hadn't she mentioned it before; we talked casually in class, but nothing more. "Not exactly- how much do you know, Bella?" I frowned, "How much should I know, Alice?" She smiled slightly, "Bella, there's something you should know about us…" I cut her off, "I know you and your family are vampires Alice… he told me." Her eyes glazed over slightly, her features took on a rather terrifying expression. "He what?!" She said behind clenched teeth.

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**A/N: Please review; the next chapter will be up very soon. I love you comments and suggestions, keep it up!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Yay! The haze has lifted!**

**ENJOY!**

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"He what?!" She asked behind clenched teeth.

"We met over summer vacation, Alice, in Greece. He was coming into my room at night… I saw him… I talk in my sleep, he heard the name of the town, Forks, in my sleep-talking one night… he was going to kill me but he didn't want to be tied to anything so close to home."

"Kill you?" She practically yelled, "He's been making it look like… like… that lying, conniving…" her words trailed off.

"Alice,' I said trying to calm her, 'it's okay, really. He explained everything… well, not everything, but enough. He said he'd be here, but I haven't seen him at all. Did he decide to stay in Greece?"

She looked at me, her eyes full of pity. "No, he's around… 'She looked warily around her and then leaned closer to me, 'we need to speak in a place a little more privately; do you trust me, Bella?"

I nodded; she took my hand and led me to the edge of the forest.

After we were sufficiently hidden from view inside the tree line Alice turned to me. "Climb on my back, Bella… like a piggy back ride."

My face must have displayed what was going through my mind; she was comparatively smaller than me, there was no way it would work!

"Trust me, Bella; I'm stronger than I look." She said. I climbed onto her back and like lightning we were rushing through the trees at impossible speeds.

When we finally reached a secluded spot in the forest I began to regret my decision to trust this vampire I barely knew so easily. I remembered how Edward had said that he could so easily kill me and no one would hear. Now here I was alone with yet another vampire… I must really have it coming.

The hesitancy must have registered on my face, because Alice moved in to comfort me. "Bella, don't worry; I'm not going to hurt you. Didn't Edward tell you about our special diet?"

I shook my head… "No… he told me that he fed on human blood and that he intended to feed on mine, he was watching me sleep, planning his next move, when I woke up and saw him. "

"That dirty double-crosser! He's been cheating!" Alice yelled.

"Alice, what did he tell you about me?" I asked.

There were so many other, more important, questions, but all I could think of was his opinion of me.

Alice looked at me as if she just remembered I was standing there. A look of pity crossed her face.

"He never told me much about you Bella… I have a gift; I can see things that may or may not happen… I saw him in your room… he said you were someone in need, and that he wanted to help you, but was afraid you'd find out his secret."

My heart fell… he lied about our meeting to his family; he obviously didn't feel the same about me as I did about him.

My emotions must be showing quite well today; Alice came and put her arm around me… "Come with me, Bella; I need to do something and its best you're with me."

She pulled me onto her back and we ran back to the school parking lot. She dropped me off and dug her cell phone out of her pocket.

"I'm texting Rosalie… we're borrowing her car, but we'll have it back before school is out. Then I'm going to call you in sick to the office. We have something more important to take care of."

Alice made the calls that she had promised to and then unlocked the red BMW's doors with her key. I got in the passenger side and fastened my seat belt.

Alice drove almost as fast as she ran. I kept my eyes closed most of the time, though I could still feel the speed we were travelling at. We arrived at her destination in less than five minutes, though I was sure we had driven farther than I had guessed.

I looked up as I got out of the car at the imposing mansion that stood before me.

"This is where we live, Bella. Carlisle, you've met, Me, Jasper, Rose and Emmett you've seen at school, but you haven't met Esme. She isn't here right now, but she's not who I need to speak to anyway." She said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the intimidating house.

As she shut the door behind me I realized who she must mean to speak with – Rosalie, Jasper and Emmett were at school, Esme was out, and Carlisle was most likely at the hospital. That only left one vampire… Edward.

"Alice, no, I'd rather wait in the car… please; if he wanted to see me he'd have come to school." I whined quietly, but she was adamant.

"Absolutely not, Bella, you're part of the reason I need to speak to him, so march upstairs with me and let's get this straightened out." Alice said as she pulled me toward the stairs.

She stopped at the third landing and turned abruptly to the right. Long before we reached the third floor I could hear mournful ballads pouring from some unknown source. As we drew nearer I realized that they must be coming from his room.

Alice knocked forcefully on the door that stood before us; the only barrier now between me and the amazing creature I had met only weeks ago.

"Go away, Alice." A voice yelled from inside the room.

"Edward Cullen, you get your lying, cheating, double-crossing butt out here right this instant!" Alice yelled. The force of her voice made my ears ring for a moment after she had stopped.

The door opened and Edward's beautiful face appeared, his features were contorted into a fearsome scowl, "Alice, I told you that I was not to be bothered… I…"

He caught sight of me and his expression changed completely… I could not tell whether his features were filled with fear or loathing, but whatever he was feeling would not be pleasant.

"What is she doing here?" He asked, his attention now back on Alice.

"Edward, we have a little problem to straighten out… now turn down your music and let us come in… the sooner I get some real answers from you the better." She said as she pushed her way into his room.

He turned to look between her and me, she, sitting patiently on his large, black, leather couch… I was still standing outside his bedroom door, quite ready to run for my life if necessary.

Finally he turned to me, not quite meeting my eyes and quietly said, "Come in, Bella."

I timidly walked in and sat beside Alice on the couch.

"Edward, I know you've been brooding more often than usual since you got back from Greece, and until today I just could not figure out why; your story didn't make much sense but being my brother, I trusted you." Alice said with a curt tone to her usually cheerful voice.

"Bella and I had a heart to heart today and her story explains a whole lot more than yours… so which do I believe?"

"Depends on what she told you, Alice." Edward said.

"She told me that you intended her to be your first course… that you have been drinking from humans." Alice said.

Edward looked at me. "Thanks, Psyche, I thought you could keep a secret." He said.

"I thought you meant from other humans… I figured your vampire sister would know about you being a vampire too!" I said a little more forcefully than I had intended.

He gave me a look that said I knew that wasn't what he meant, but still, he could see that he hadn't been very clear as to whom the secret was to be kept from.

"Yes, I had been drinking from humans, but only the bad ones… Alice, I was in Italy and decided to visit Aro… he kept flaunting humans before me… he knew exactly how far he was tempting me, and finally I couldn't take it. One of the humans they procured was a fleeing felon; he was on several countries ten most wanted… I gave in."

"Edward, I thought your rebellious period ended long ago." Alice said, her voice saddened.

"It had… the day I saw Bella for the first time I was determined to stop… that's why I left Italy, Alice. I thought the change in scenery would help me get back to being… more like myself. Then I came across her scent. You know what a singer does, Alice, you've had one yourself." He said crossly.

"Edward, I'm not accusing you for falling off the wagon; Aro is cruel, to our kind and theirs alike. I meant rebellious in that you told a human our secret… you know what Aro would do if he found out she knew… how could you do that?" Alice asked.

"When I told you she was someone in need, I didn't specify what she was in need of… no one else but me knew what she knew; she's my singer Alice; I'm not sure I could successfully turn her without going over board and killing her. I wasn't thinking when I did it." He said.

"Oh, Edward, why didn't you just tell me?" Alice asked getting up and walking to his side. She reached out and stroked his arm comfortingly.

I was getting uncomfortable with where this conversation was headed. "Um, excuse me? Why do I have to die? I swore I wouldn't tell anyone, and I know I screwed up, but I swear I won't tell anyone else!"

They looked at me before giving each other knowing glances.

"Sweetie, it's nothing for you to worry about; you're not going to have to die. Not yet, anyway… we'll figure this out, don't worry." Alice said, soothingly.

"Maybe we should keep her here! She'll be safe with all of us protecting her… that way you won't have to sit in her room all night long every night." Alice said.

"Alice, my singer, in the house with me?! That's pure torture! How would you feel?!" Edward retorted.

"Jasper can handle you, I'm sure, and so can I… it is a perfect plan." She said.

"Yeah,' I said, 'except that Charlie won't go for it."

Alice frowned.

Edward gave her an astonished look. "And you're chastising me for cheating? Alice honestly... he's the police chief!" he said.

"I know, I know, I'm just going through all the options." She said as she paced the floor.

Edward looked up… "I've got it." He said triumphantly. "But we'll need Carlisle's help."

I waited anxiously for his solution to my previously unknown problem... well, unknown to me anyway.

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**A/N: Please Review! Yes, it is true, there are more My Immortal Chapters coming!!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Yes! Finally overridden the block! Hopefully this will be a satisfactory chapter and it might direct you into where this is all going! Happy middle-of-the-week!**

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I waited as Alice and Edward made the necessary phone calls. Carlisle agreed to help and somehow Edward and Carlisle convinced Charlie and the school that I was seriously ill with a highly contagious disease I probably contracted in Greece.

Somehow I obtained permission to stay here as long as necessary and Charlie could come and visit me on weekends… he bought the story that due to their recent vacation in Italy, they had been inoculated before hand against this and several other common diseases in that part of Europe.

My luck fell on the fact that Charlie was not well versed in any type of medical illnesses, their causes or their treatments. Adding to that was the fact that Carlisle was the most respected doctor in the state according to Charlie and half the town.

Alice left to return the BMW and pick up the others from school. That left Edward and I with quite a bit of awkward alone time.

He sat down next to me on the couch in his room. We sat in silence for a while before he finally spoke.

"I'm sorry to do this to you Bella. When I realized what you were I should have run the other way, but coming off my binge I was out of sorts as it was." He said remorsefully.

"You don't need to apologize, Edward. It seems I'm causing you more trouble than you're causing me." I countered.

He smirked slightly. "You're no trouble." He said.

"Speak for yourself; I'm sure your family thinks otherwise." I said quietly, forgetting how well their kind could hear.

He looked at me incredulously. "I know exactly how my family feels, Bella. Don't worry; none of them think you're any trouble. I wouldn't lie to you about this."

"How could you know how they feel Edward? You're just being nice." I said, wishing he would stop the charade.

"Bella, I wasn't guessing. Did Alice tell you about her ability?" Edward said, now facing me full on.

"Yes… can you see the future, too?" I asked.

"No. I read minds." He said easily, looking out the window.

My mouth dropped open. How could I be so stupid? He knew exactly what I was thinking! No wonder he didn't want anything to do with me.

"Except, yours, of course… you have no idea how frustrating that is. I find it's easier sometimes to…" he paused.

"To what?" I asked.

"Stay away from you… the longer I'm away, the better you smell when I see you again, like right now I want nothing more than to devour you… but I find staying away from you helps to… you intrigue me when I'm near you… I want to know your thoughts so badly. That's dangerous… we should be far apart." He breathed.

I laughed cynically. "I thought you stayed away because you hated me."

He looked at me as if I had grown a second head.

"What? After that night in Greece? You think that was nothing to me?" his face fell just a bit… he was truly hurt.

"It's just that you're… so beautiful, so powerful… what could something like you want with someone like me?" I said, blushing furiously.

I felt him slide closer to me… "You really should stop doing that; it's highly distracting and… it makes you smell so much stronger… I haven't hunted in a while."

"Doing what?" I asked, wanting to scoot away and yet closer to him all at once.

"Blushing like that… the blood staining your cheeks and neck… it's very arousing." He said

I only blushed harder at his choice of words.

He stood up quickly, and crossed the room in an incomprehensible speed.

"I'll be in the house if you need anything… just call; I'll be able to hear you." He said and sped from the room.

~*~

I remained with the Cullens for several days before Charlie came to visit. Everything was well worked out and he showed no sign of suspicion.

It was three days later, of course, that I received a quite unexpected visitor; my mother.

Alice and I were in the living room, she was showing me various trinkets she had bought on her latest shopping trip when we heard something that in the Cullen house was quite foreign; a knock at the door.

Esme answered it as Edward came down the stairs, obviously surprised that he had not heard anyone new on the premises.

As the door opened my mother stepped in at Esme's invitation.

"I'm so sorry to intrude, Mrs. Cullen… when I heard Bella was sick I knew this trip would best be made without much fuss… I just wanted to tell her in person, not over the phone." She said.

"Of course, we would never think of withholding your daughter from you… we were only concerned for everyone's safety." Esme replied.

"Mrs. Cullen, I know my daughter isn't sick…. Please, could we all discuss this? There are some things I think she ought to know, as well as all of you."

Esme led my mother into the room; she hugged me tightly before sitting down on the couch opposite me. The rest of the Cullens filtered into the room quite quickly, even Rosalie, who, apart from Edward for reasons of his own, stayed almost entirely away from any part of the house I was in.

Once everyone was seated, a deafening silence seemed to fall onto the room. Carlisle was the first to break it.

"Would you mind telling us, Renee, why you don't believe that Bella is sick? I thought your ex-husband would have explained it to you." He said.

Renee just smiled kindly. "I know she isn't sick because secretly I have been waiting for a call like this one. I just hoped it would not come while she was so young."

This, of course did nothing for everyone's heightened anxiety.

"You see, I should have told Bella all of this before she left Phoenix, though I could not bring myself to do it. I hoped by keeping it to myself I could prolong her time with us." She said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Mom, you talk as if I'm dying – but you don't even believe that I'm sick." I said.

"Bella, sweetie… when I was pregnant with you, Charlie and I took a sort of second honeymoon to a place I had always wanted to visit. We went to New Orleans… I've told you about the trip many times. We saved for a long time for that silly trip." She said.

I nodded, wondering why in the world she was bringing up this old story now.

"You know while I was there, I was about seven months pregnant, and on our last day there was an old woman in one of the shops that read my palm and all that." She continued.

I nodded again wondering how any of this mattered.

"What I never told you was that before I left her little shop, she placed her hand on my belly… on you, and put my hand over hers. She told me that she was a messenger of fate and that you held both fortune and sorrow." She said, seeming to have trouble finding the right words.

I frowned as did the rest of her audience.

"I left that day thinking nothing else of it; we were to leave the next day and I thought what she told me I could leave behind in the swamps of the old city… I didn't believe in that sort of thing."

"But, mom, I thought you always said what she foretold came true; your divorce, your leaving Forks, all of that." I countered.

"It did; what I didn't tell you was that before we left, I told Charlie I had one small errand to run, that I'd be back in less than half an hour. I went off alone to the old woman's house… I wanted to know more about you, but what I found out I have been dreading since the day I left Forks and her prophecy filled my mind." She looked as if she were really struggling now.

"Mom, its okay… just… it was ages ago." I tried to comfort her, but she would not hear it.

"Bella, she told me your fortune; that you would never suffer sickness, or heartache, that you would find your true love in a much unexpected place. She told me so much about it all… about him, about the future of the two of you… but she also told me of your sorrow…" she said, the tears now beginning to fall.

"She told me that you would…" she whimpered, she could not go on.

I went over to her, putting my arm around her shoulders. "It's okay, mom, I can handle it."

"She said you would pass into the next life, dying without death; that you would become one of _them_."

"Them? What them, mom?" I asked, wondering just how much she knew.

"The undead… the Voodoo priests call them Loogaroo… one who remained animate in the world of the living after their physical death." She said, the tears flowing down her face.

"What?" I asked, I could not believe what I was hearing! "Mom, that's ridiculous."

"Renee,' Carlisle said, 'I understand your fear, your apprehension… but it really isn't as bad as it's made out to be; many of the myths out there are just that, myths."

Renee nodded her head, still unable to stem the flow of tears.

"You're encouraging this?!" I asked incredulously. Just days ago they were considering killing me for my knowledge and now they were 'coming out' to my mom?

"Bella, your mother came here, knowing our secret… you have no idea of the sheer terror I felt radiating from her when she walked through the door… I thought it must be from your supposed illness, but when I saw that it didn't subside once she realized you weren't sick… I knew she must know what we are." Jasper intervened.

I turned to my mother. "You knew all this and you never told me?" I asked.

"Bella, what would you have thought? I've always been a bit flighty, I know… but you would have thought me truly crazy." She sobbed.

"Mom, please, stop crying… I'm not going to die anytime soon." I said trying to comfort her.

Carlisle cleared his throat. I looked at him.

"Actually, Bella, the sooner we can change you the better; Aro sensed Edward's… discomfort as he fled, and has invited us all back to Volterra to attempt to make amends. Of course, it's all for show, but when Volterra sends an invitation, it's only as a courtesy… we have been summoned. We have no choice."

"So go see them and I'll be waiting when you get back." I said, wondering what the problem was.

"Bella,' Alice began, 'remember how Edward and I have gifts? Aro has one as well… he will see you in Edward's thoughts and memories, he will see that you have not been killed or changed; they will kill you and possibly Edward… if we don't change you first."

I hung my head… how had I gotten into a situation like this? What could I do? Would my mother be better off knowing I was technically alive and forever condemned to live the life of a parasite feeding on what used to me my own kind? Would she feel better knowing that my short life had ended to keep her and others safe if I consented to let one of the Cullens kill me?

I looked over at her. "What should I do mom?" I asked.

"Honey, I want you to do whatever is in your heart to do. If you choose to live with the Cullens, honey I support that… even though it means I'll never see you again… at least I will know your alive… and hopefully, happy." She said tearfully.

"Renee,' Carlisle said, 'I think you will be quite able to see your daughter after the first year or so… you see, though we are what you believe us to be, my family and I, as well as a few others throughout our society, live not on human blood, but on that of animals. Once Bella is over her newborn bloodlust, I see no problem with you being able to visit her occasionally."

My mother looked hopeful… "Really?"

Carlisle, along with the rest of the Cullens, nodded.

She breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Come, now, 'Carlisle said to the others, 'let's leave them alone to say their temporary goodbyes."

With that all of the Cullens departed the room. I knew they could hear every word we said, but thankfully my mom didn't know that… I knew that would make her more comfortable.

She dried her eyes as she spoke.

"So, which one of them is him?" she asked.

I laughed. "The bronze haired one… the one who stays farthest away from me."

She frowned. "Why would he stay so far from you if he was the one?"

"It's complicated, mom. I make him… hungry." I said bashfully.

"Oh… well that shouldn't be a problem soon, right?" she asked.

"Yeah, soon. So, see you next year?" I asked, lightly.

She laughed. "Yeah… next year."

She pulled me into a tight hug. We stayed that way for a while, talking a bit afterward.

As the sun was setting she rose and headed for the door, we hugged and cried, promising each other that a year would come and go before we knew it. As she got in her car and pulled away I yelled to her.

"Does Charlie know?"

She shook her head. "No, sweetie… he doesn't... not that he'd believe it if we told him. It will kill him to think you're dead… but it looks like the only way."

And with that she drove away. It hurt me to think that Charlie would have to think me dead… but I knew I would have Renee's help in convincing him.

I had a long road ahead of me… might as well face it and get it over with.

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**A/N: Please, please, please review! It helps me determine whether or not I'm on the right track or if I should switch direction.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yes, I know it's been a while since I posted. I'm so sorry. I've been dealing with a lot of drama around my house lately, but writing is never far from my mind. I really hope you like this one; it was inspired by an off hand thought I had yesterday...."What if Bella asked Edward to describe the taste of blood to her, what would he say?"**

**So...here you go...**

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Chapter 8

"Bella,' Carlisle said quietly after my mother had left, 'I think you, Edward and I need to discuss the matter at hand in my office as soon as possible – Aro will be expecting us within the week, and it takes a full three days for the change to occur." He said.

I nodded and Edward and I followed him up the stairs to his office.

We sat down in chairs opposite his desk; he sat behind it gingerly, not quite resting in it.

"Now, we need to decide on a time, place and who's going to…" Carlisle said, not finishing the last part of the sentence.

"What do you mean, who? Carlisle, You're the only one who could… have enough restraint." Edward said.

"Actually I was thinking you should do it and I would be there in case you… needed encouragement." He said.

"Are you out of your mind?" Edward exclaimed.

"Edward, I think it would be wrong to deprive you… it was you after all, who she sang to first…" Carlisle said.

Edward hung his head as he spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

"If you think its best… I will try, but I would regret if..." Edward's voice cracked as if he could not bear to finish the thought.

Carlisle nodded and stood. Pacing behind his desk he began to speak, thoughtfully, calculatingly.

"Today or tomorrow would be the best time…as they say; there is no time like the present. Where would the two of you be the most comfortable?"

Edward looked thoughtfully, woefully at me. "If it must happen I would prefer you to be as comfortable as possible, even if only for a few moments." He looked quickly to Carlisle, "How quickly can we have a bed ordered? We can place it in my room, where I can watch over her until everything is complete… it's my fault after all… for everything."

"Of course,' Carlisle answered, it should take only a few hours, we could be ready in less than twenty-four hours… I'll get right on it and Esme will certainly want a hand in it as well… please, excuse me while I make the arrangements."

I turned to Edward during a rather awkward pause following Carlisle's absence. "Edward, what does it…taste like?"

His flawless brow furrowed slightly, though whether at the thought of describing blood-drinking to a human or at the unexpected question I do not know. He smiled uncomfortably…

"Animal blood or, uh…human?" he asked.

"Well, both, I suppose… I mean, I know what it tastes like to me…sort of an irony, metallic, salty, tangy mess… quite nasty in large amounts." I said.

His eyebrows raised at that last statement.

"Sports injury to the mouth… not recent, just… it's kind of a taste you don't forget." I laughed nervously.

"You're worried that that's what you're in for? A foul tasting diet for eternity, is that it?" He laughed.

I smiled sheepishly and nodded.

"Hmm, let me see if I can think of something from my human life to compare it to… the scent, or bouquet, as some like to think of it, is rather floral in most cases, though sometimes more like a spice or some aroma you would find pleasant in your human life. For example, yours is very like the scent of freesias and lavender, with just a hint of lilac as an undertone.

The taste is always different, just as the scents are… even identical twins are far apart in scent and flavor. Do you ever eat chocolates for Valentine's Day?"

I nodded.

"In each box, the aroma is very pleasant, but every chocolate, while retaining one similar note, obviously the chocolate, has a slightly different but always rather pleasing core… some might be coconut, others marzipan, others still, strawberry mousse… humans are like that. Sweet, satisfying…amazingly smooth, the blood coats your tongue and throat like thick, warm melted chocolate.

It's very addicting, actually." Now it was his turn to smile sheepishly; toward the end of his little speech he was quite charismatic.

I spoke up "…and animals?"

He frowned slightly… "To be perfectly honest, not quite as satisfying… not altogether bad, of course… I imagine it would be like growing up on the finest chocolate in the world and then having to switch to a sort of sugar-free, watered-down version of a cheap brand of chocolate."

"But…' he added quickly, 'if you were only given the later, I suppose you wouldn't know what you were missing and perhaps, be completely satisfied… Rosalie would be the best to ask; she has never tasted human blood… never had the desire for it at all… Carlisle, though having had tasted it, still has no desire for it." He finished awkwardly.

I had to laugh to myself, seeing this perfect vision of a man stumble and second guess his words. I knew he was only trying to make life as a vampire seem less horrible than he thought it was, though he guessed himself to be failing miserably.

"I'm sure if it tastes anything like chocolate I'll like it just fine, watered down or not… Yoohoo's were always my favorite drink…" I added to comfort him.

He smiled.

"I have a confession to make, Edward." I began.

"And, what is that, exactly?" he asked.

"I'm glad it will be you… it's hard to explain, but, if something goes wrong, I want it to be you my life-source will live in for eternity."

A strange expression mixed between amusement and horror crossed his perfect face. He opened his mouth to speak and then though better of it…

"I know it's a weird thing to think and even weirder to say, I just wanted you to know…" I said.

"It's a horrible thing to say…" he laughed, the first real smile I had ever seen cross his face.

I smiled, blushing fiercely. "I know… I just felt it needed to be expressed."

"Are you trying to say… you… feel… kindly towards me?" Edward asked.

"No. What I'm trying to say is that… if things go wrong… I want you to know… I love you…um and I mean… I think I'm in love with you… I have been since that first night in Greece… I feel so stupid actually voicing it…"

"Why would you ever feel stupid for voicing something like that?" Edward asked, the amusement gone from his face.

"Because look at you… and look at me… you're like a god…a beautiful, perfect, incredibly powerful being… I'm so much the opposite… it's like Beauty and the Beast…"

"Who exactly are you referring to as beast?" he asked, a hint of a smile showing once again around the creases of his eyes.

"Myself, obviously." I retorted just a bit too harshly… I didn't like being laughed at.

"I'm not poking fun, Bella, honestly… I've just always thought of you and I exactly the same way… only in reverse… I feel like the beast here, Bella. You wouldn't be in this situation if I hadn't so craved your blood."

"Edward, of course we would be; you and your family moved to Forks regardless of our meeting. Our paths would have crossed… just think of the mess we might have ended up in had we not met."

"Bella, how could it have possibly been any worse?" he asked seriously.

"Well, I don't know… what if we hadn't met until school? I'm your singer, right? You could have killed me there in front of everyone…" I joked.

"Of course not; I have much more restraint than that… I tracked you, remember?" he countered.

"Alright, well… I don't know… maybe a friend of yours would have come to visit and I would have been his singer too… what if you tried to save me by shipping me all over the country only to lose with him finding me first and chowing down on my blood leaving you with a guilt-ridden existence for all eternity?"

By now Edward was laughing hysterically. "Bella, you have such a wild imagination."

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**A/N: Just a quick note, this story will not be much longer; I really didn't expect it to go this far, but it will likely end with Bella's transformation. Yes, I know that there's that bit about visiting Aro and all, but honestly between this, 112 Masen Lane and my own book (Entitled: Darrington Manor) I just can't keep it all together.** **If anyone would like to do a sequel to this one, please feel free to and I will link it to this story, I just can't devote any more time to it all. Thanks to everyone who has been faithfully reading it, you guys are my inspiriation... I really mean that!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Here it is... the final chapter. Sorry it has taken SO long getting it out... but I'm pleased with the way it has ended. I know there are several loose ends, but as you can imagine they were easily tied off... the Cullens are good at that type of thing.**

**Enjoy!  
**

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Chapter 9

"Oh,' I said teasingly, 'you have no idea how wild my imagination can get! Try this one on for size… let's say you and your family decides to play a friendly game, I don't know, basketball, soccer…something competitive, right? And this psychotic nomadic vampire shows up, and decides to make a game out of getting me away from you and draining me himself. So you, in your over-reactive, emergency scenario state-of-mind send me with Rose and Emmett back to Phoenix, but the nomad tracks me there while somehow confounding you who remain here trying to track him… he gets me alone in let's say… an abandon warehouse and starts to decide how he's going to kill me.

You see, he'll have to do it in a way that will make you want to chase him forever, making his eternity seem all that more exciting. A constant cat and mouse game for him.

Then you catch on and fly like a demon down south to rescue me… hopefully it would end happily, but honestly, you have no idea how much trouble I could cause you."

By now Edward was in hysterics… if he had actually had a need for breathing, he would have been gasping for air and begging me to stop by now. I could hear laughter coming from downstairs as well.

"Oh, Bella… honestly, I can tell you are going to make eternity seem like a blink to me." He said after he had calmed enough to speak.

I smiled. "You sure you'll want me that long?" I asked quietly.

Edward's face grew serious now. He was about to speak when Carlisle and Esme came back through the door.

"It's arrived… whenever you two are ready…" Carlisle said.

I looked at the clock on the desk. Six hours had passed since Carlisle had left the room. Much of the time, I realized had been filled with an uncomfortable silence until I gained the courage to ask about the taste of blood.

"How did you get a bed so quickly?" I asked looking from Carlisle to Esme and back again.

"Oh, honey, not just a bed, but a whole bedroom suite, décor and all." Esme answered.

"Everything from Port Angeles, I had a rush put on it all… you'll soon discover that what you can't accomplish with your new powers, your new bank account can fill in." Carlisle laughed.

It made me a little uncomfortable to think of myself using the Cullen's money like that… and so soon… three days from now. Esme interjected into my discomfort… most likely from the expression on my face.

"Bella, what's ours is now yours as well. When you wake up, dear, you will be a Cullen, not only in name, but in practice. After all… since you and Edward…"

Edward cleared his voice rather loudly leaving me to wonder what 'Edward and I' meant.

I stood as if to face my execution. Which, in theory, was exactly what I was facing… only at the end of my death I would awake to a new sort of life; One where I would no longer want for anything.

Well, now that's not entirely true. I would always want for Edward… I just hope I would not bore him too soon.

We walked together up one flight of stairs. Carlisle and Esme, hand in hand leading me, alone, in the middle, followed closely, somberly by my executioner.

As we reached the room Esme opened the door and lead me in. She brought me to the bureau and opened it. She pulled out a lovely cotton and lace, long sleeved, ankle length shift.

"I bought this chemise for you… not only will it make you a bit more comfortable than your jeans and shirt, it will also be much easier to bleach later on should you choose to keep it and wear it again." Esme explained.

Edward cleared his throat lightly. "Bella, we all have our clothes we wore as humans packed away and preserved against the ravages of time; it sort of helps us to remember who we were and that we too were once as human as those we crave now. Most vampires are nomadic and even those who are not find it easier to take a human life if they separate themselves from it, which is exactly why we try to do the opposite. She bought you a shift so that if you choose to never look at it again, you can do just that… but also so that you can remember the things you're wearing with more fondness than you would after knowing what is about to happen."

"We don't mean it to sound so oddly ceremonial, Bella,' Carlisle said, 'it's just that we are trying to think of everything we can to make this easier in the long run for you. I expect that it's all going to be quite a shock for you and we'd like to ease this transformation in any way we can think of."

"Thank you." I said… "I can see you have really thought it all out and I want you to know that I really appreciate everything you're doing for me. I'm not sure if this is the path I would have chosen had things happened differently, but right now, I can't think of any family I would rather be a part of for the next millennia to come."

With that I excused myself to the bathroom to change. I emerged in my elegant shift and handed my folded clothes to Esme who left the room, shutting the door quietly behind her.

The black satin-covered bed awaited me. It was so enormous that it easily filled half of Edwards' room. I walked to the bed and before I could lift a hand was picked up and gently laid in the center of it. I looked back at Edward smiling at me gently, sorrowfully.

Carlisle stepped up to the opposite side of the bed… his voice taking on a more professional tone as he explained the following procedure.

"Bella, I've discussed it with Edward and we believe that you may well benefit from the affects of narcotic pain relievers during the transformation.

So, what I'm about to do is start an I.V. in your arm with saline, once Edward is ready to bite I will begin pushing morphine and a general anesthetic through the line.

Unfortunately I will have to remove it in approximately forty eight hours, but hopefully by then the most intense sensations will have given way to your strengthening new system. I would leave it in, but once your skin hardens, I'm afraid I will have a bit of trouble getting it out."

I closed my eyes as he began the IV. I had always hated needles.

Once in, Carlisle nodded to Edward signaling that all systems were go.

Edward nodded back slightly before pulling himself onto the bed next to me.

"Are you comfortable, Bella?" he asked softly.

"Yes." I replied.

"Alright, I'm going to bite you in several places to get the venom flowing more quickly. Then I will… take about half of your blood volume to further speed things along. Carlisle is here and the others are on standby should I be unable to stop. Are you ready?"

I nodded, unable to speak for fear my voice would crack. I was terrified.

Edward leaned close to me, his mouth very close to my left ear. I felt his cold lips kiss my neck lightly before pulling away several inches. He took one last deep breath and that was it.

Like lightning his razor teeth sank through the flesh at my neck severing my jugular artery. I could feel the blood being pulled violently through the opening. I could never have imagined the immense pain of that moment. It was not the bite that hurt, or even the sharp stinging venom that seemed to spread immediately through every vein and capillary that I possessed, but the rush of blood being forced through the hole in my neck. It seemed to last for an eternity.

Just as quickly I felt Edwards' teeth tear at several major arteries in my body. Quickly and skillfully he opened my wrists and ankles as well as one very strategically placed bite as close to my heart as was possible.

Very soon I felt a warm numbness beginning to spread throughout my body. I was losing consciousness. My first reaction was panic… he hadn't been able to stop… I had been drained and now I was dying. I tried to speak, to open my mouth… I had to tell him one last time… I tried to shout "I love you" but my voice was dead in my throat; no words would come. The darkness began to swallow me… I could fight it no longer… I gave in to the warmth of death.

The next thing I remember was the slightest form of consciousness that I could ever remember experiencing. My presence of thought was what awoke me… and then I could feel it.

Fire. The most intense and vehement fire that had ever been let loose on the earth was running through my veins, melting them, searing my entire body in one, unending, white-hot flame.

I knew no sense of time then, though it seemed to, however minutely, grow less and less intense.

After a while I could focus past the flames, and when I did…oh when I did… I could hear the most amazing things.

I could hear tiny droplets of water somewhere above me, spinning, colliding, falling. Then a splash as big as a boulder being tossed into a lake. But there were millions… and I found that I could count them, control them in a way… I could choose to hear them in real time, or in slow motion.

I could hear voices… familiar voices, laughing, talking, and what was so odd is that I could hear every single word, but also judge the exact distance that each voice was from me. Some were as far as two and a half miles, most, however, were less than a hundred yards. The Cullens.

I was at the Cullens' house. My memory shifted into high gear. It was fuzzy, but I remembered being carried here by Alice earlier today. I must have fallen and hit my head… what a klutz they must think I am. I remembered meeting Carlisle and Esme… Alice, Jasper, Rose and Emmett I already knew from school.

Edward… what must he think of me? Was he even here?

"I'm here, Bella." I heard his velvet toned voice call to me. "How is the pain?"

"Pain? I don't feel anything… what did I injure this time?" I asked… I kept my eyes closed; I could not bear the thought of him looking at me, amused by my human clumsiness.

"I see your memory has been affected, that should clear soon." Carlisle said as he entered the room. I could hear every scratch his shoes made on the plush carpet. Behind him I could hear five other sets of feet shuffling into the room where I laid.

Boy, I must have really done it this time if the whole Cullen family had to come in and see the damage.

"Wow, she even gives you a run for it, Rose."I heard Jasper whisper. I could not imagine Rosalie ever being anything near clumsy.

I heard Rosalie punch his arm… no, what I actually heard was rock hard skin colliding, first with each layer of fabric Jasper had covering his arm and then smashing against what sounded like granite.

"She gorgeous…" Alice said quietly.

"Yes, very, very well turned out. She was adorable before, of course, but her face is stunning." Esme replied.

"Who are they talking about, Edward?" I asked quietly, my voice hoarse and my throat burning and dry.

He laughed quietly, but it was Emmett's loud, boisterous voice who answered my question.

"They're talking about you, goof ball. Your transformation turned out to supply my brother with a total hottie, Bells." He laughed.

My eyes flew open.

I sat bolt upright. The room was awash in colors… not just the normal ones, but colors I had never imagined could exist, much less have seen.

"Alright everyone, you've seen her, now let's give them some privacy… she'll be with us for some time to come, so…out, all of you." Carlisle said and followed the mumbling crowd outside of Edward's room, shutting the door.

"Are you thirsty?" Edward asked tentatively.

"A little… could I have some water?" I asked.

I made the grievous mistake of looking at him… I could not tear my eyes away.

It was certainly the boy-god I had met that first night in Greece, but he was now even more beautiful to my eyes. I stopped breathing…

Edward laughed lightly. "You probably shouldn't try that until you're more used to your new body, Bella… it gets uncomfortably pretty quickly."

I just stared at him.

"Breathe, Bella… even though you no longer need to. And I don't think water would make your throat feel any better." He said gently.

I tore my eyes from him.

"I'm… like you?" I asked, terrified that if I voiced my hopes I would awake from this beautiful dream.

"No, Bella… you're so much more." He answered.

Edward grabbed my hand gently and pulled me out of the bed and toward a large full length mirror.

In the mirror stood Edward, but beside him was a creature entirely foreign to me. She was about my height, though she looked a few inches taller, with deep mahogany brown hair, where mine had been dull and mousy. Her skin was marble white and crystal clear, her ruby lips matched perfectly the shade of her eyes. Her features reminded me of someone I had seen before… someone I knew well, but could not seem to remember just now. She was dressed in a lovely cotton and lace shift… just exactly like the one I remembered Esme handing me only moments ago.

I gasped at the realization… it was me next to Edward in the mirror. Edward smiled.

"They were correct, you are exquisite, Bella." He said softly as he stared at my reflection.

"Edward, you never answered my question…" I said, my voice was like the sound of angels singing on a soft, dew covered spring morning.

"And what, exactly, was that?" he said teasingly.

"If you were sure you would want me for all of eternity…" I said, the tension growing inside me as the seconds, now seemingly much longer than I had ever remembered them being as a human.

"Of course I will Bella… I could never stop loving you no matter what gulf could separate us… I'm in love with you even more so than you think you are with me. You're mine now, forever and I couldn't be happier."

"Yours forever… I like that." I said.

"So do I, Bella. You're my immortal." He said before kissing my lips ever so gently.

~The End~

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**A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I really appreciate the reviews and everything. I hope you will like my other stories (can be found in my profile) and thank you again for sticking with me. You guys are the reason I write.**


	10. UPDATE

UPDATE:

My Immortal is being sequeled as I write; infact the first chapter is already up! ForgottenHeart has taken the reigns and it is now her baby. I wish her the best of luck in writing what may have been the most challenging Story I've ever written.

So if you felt My Immortal kind of ended abruptly, I'm truly sorry, but take heart; it has been revived!

You can read it here:

(fanfiction).net/s/5174898/1/Eternal#

Sorry, you know how crazy this site is about putting websites in the text spaces...so crazy.

It will also be a link in my profile, if you happen to have trouble viewing it this way.

~Barefoot Duchess


	11. For Fans Only

Hello my fans of other fanfics! I really love hearing from you that you are enjoying my stories…hey I even like the criticisms; it means people are reading and thinking and I love that!

Okay so here we go, this is an exclusive sneak peek for all of you fans who liked reading Broken, My Immortal and 112 Masen Lane.

Now, granted I am writing this one in the fashion that I wrote Broken, my very first. I write up 4-6 chapters ahead of what I post so I can stay up to date and not lag behind so far you forget what the story is about.

Now this story (as all of my others are) is completely Alternate Universe. But I think you might enjoy;

Synopsis: It's the early 20th century and Bella has landed herself in jail for murder. Edward happens to be in the right place at the right time. Can he help her?

Here is an excerpt from chapter 3:

"_If I wanted to make you talk… truly wanted to make you talk, I could chéri." I said, not intending to be as menacing as my words came out to be._

_She smirked at this. "If I had nothing to talk about, there would be nothing to hear."_

"_Oh, mon Chéri, I could make you confess to things you couldn't dream of in your darkest nightmares." I replied, despising myself for letting even this tiny bit of the monster within show though. I had to show her I meant business. If she didn't confess to me and let me help her, she'd be the first woman to swing in this country in two-hundred years._

Now keep in mind they are living in New Orleans in the very early 20th century. My dates are neither cannon nor historically accurate so don't start with the fact that certain part of New Orleans were no longer in existence at the time of this writing. I know… but I write for effect, not accuracy.

Hope you enjoy!


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